Method and apparatus for forming figured glassware



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E. BANNER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING FIGURED GLASSWARE Filed Dec. 27, 1921 3 Sheets-$heet 1 2%, 192, 2&435

' E. BANNER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING FIGURED GLASSWA'RE Filed Dec.27, 1921 SSheets-Shset 2 INVENTEIR- MW g W I imam i2,

mmss E. BANNER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING FIGURED GLASSWARE Filed Dec. 27, 1921 3 Sheejos-Sheet 3 INYENT'EIR- Patent June 26, 192.

EDWARD BANNER, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

METHOD AND LAPPARATUS FOR FORMING- FIGURED GLASSWABE.

Applicationilled December 27, 1921. Serial No. 524,821.

This invention relates to the manufacture of glassware, and particularly to the manufacture of continuous figured sheet glass, and has for its primary object the pr0duction of sheet glass of this character in a highly. efficient, rapid and economical manner.

In practicing my'invention I'preferably employ'the sheet forming means and method disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 443,752, filed February 10, 1921, in which molten glass flows rom a tank or other source of supply down opposite sides of a heated slab or directing member in thin separated films and in the presence of a tempering heat, the films merging and flowing in single sheet form from the lower end of the slab'or directing member. The sheet after leaving the slab or directing member and while in a soft or formative stage has contact at one side thereof with the figured surface of a ,roll or other impression member and a fluid blast. preferably air, is directed against the outer'side of the sheet to force its soft inner side against the figured surface of the roll to impart the desired figured formation to the sheet after which the sheet passes into and through a leer. This method of pressing the sheet to the roll has two important advantages, first, the fluid pressure against the outer side of the sheet causes the inner side thereof to perfectly shape itself to conform to the roll configuration so that such configuration is sharply and clearly defined on the sheet, and, secondly, the blowing of a blast of air or other fluid against the outer surface of the sheet tends to cool that side more quickly than the inner side and to give it a glaze and hardened skin surface which will prevent it becoming marred when brought into contact with a deflecting or supporting means. It will be understood that the sheet of glass flowing from the slab ordirecting member is preferably at a higher temperature when making figured glass than when making plain sheet glass. and that practi cally any pressing agent, with the exception of one of a fluid nature, when brought into contact with the soft sheet would mar the surface of the glass.

Another important advantage resulting from making figured sheet glass by my method, wherein the sheet is formed by the merging of separate films of glass flowing through a, tempering heat, is that the separate films may be tempered independently of each other before reaching the merging point so that the side of the sheet wh ch comes in contact with the figured roll may be softer than the opposite side, which latter may have sufficient viscosity to maintain" the sheet and prevent it flowing too freely, while'the softer side will easily take the impression of the mold.

A further object of the invention is to produce a clear figured glass which is free from devitrification and therefore does not have a mottled, specky or milky appearance Devitrified glass is brittle and does not make a commercial product. Devitrification is caused by glass cooling too slowly or by its passing too slowly through the critical coolin temperature zone. With my invention w ereon one or more thin films of glass flow down a slab or directing means, all portions of the glass are under the action of gravity and therefore flow freely without any retarding action, and the glass passes through the critical cooling temperature zone fast enough to prevent devitrification. This advantage is not obtained where the glass stream or sheet flows over a horizontal or substantially horizontal slab or lip through the cooling temperaturezone, and

great difliculty has been experienced in trying to overcome the devit-rification in sheet gllass manufactured with apparatus of this c ass.

While the sheet forming apparatus which I have shown conforms to that disclosed in my said former application Ser. No. 443,- 752, the sheet forming means and methods employing inclined or vertically disposed slabs or directing members disclosed in my United States Patent 1,261,367, dated April 2, 1918, or the means andm'ethods disclosed in any of my copentiing applications Ser. Nos. 396,339, 405,322, 443,752, 515,759 and 519,866, filed respectively, July 14, 1920, August 23, 1920, February 10, 1921, November 17, 1921, and December 5, 1921, may beemployed.

The invention is fully described in the following specification', and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 1s a central vertical longitudinal section of an apparatus embodying theinvention with parts in full and withparts down the roll.

broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line.2-'2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the air-blast nozzle taken on the l1ne.33 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a-fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 1, with the position of the sheet and blast means reversed with respect to the roll, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the figure roll and deflecting means of a modified form of the invention together with sheet feeding or supporting means disposed intermediate the roll and deflecting means.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a furnace or tank containing a molten glass supply and which may constitute either the melting tank of the furnace or the refining tank thereof, and 2 a horizontal spout formmg the main tempering chamber through which the glass flows from the tank in a relatively thin stream to a hopper 3 provided in the bottom of the chamber at its forward end and having a narrow bottom" discharge slot 4 for the glass. The glass discharging from the slot 4 flows down onto the upper end of a vertically disposed directing slab or member 5, the glass stream then dividing and flowing in separated films a down opposite sides of the slab and merge and flow from the lower end thereof inthe form of a sheet I). The slab 5 is disposed within a heated tempering chamber 6 which is formed by a wall 7 extending down from the bottom of the spout 2 in surrounding relation to the discharge slot 4 and slab 5, the wall being open at its bottom and preferably extending belowthe slab. The tem perature within the chamber 6 may be regulated in any suitable manner to suit the.

tempering conditions required, and, in the present instance gas burners 8 are provided below the chamber 6 in position to direct their flames up into the chamber for such purpose. Vents or outlet openings 9 for the gases oficombustion are provided at the upper end of the chamber 6. It is evident that the temperature within the chamber 7 may be varied at opposite sides of the slab so that the glass of one film may be softer or more fluid than the other.

An impression roll 10 is disposed below the chamber 6 in the path of flow of the sheet I; from the slab or directing member 5, the sheet being deflected by the roll and passing around and down one side thereof and thence into a leer or annealing chamber 11 havin an entrance opening 12 in position for the s eat to enter the same as it asses The. leer is shown as eing of the horizontal type and the sheet is deflected from a vertical to a horizontal as it enters the same by a curved deflecting surface 1%.

The roll 10 is provided on its periphery with any configuration or impression which it may be desired to impart to the side of the sheet 6 contacting therewith. The sheet as it passes down around the roll is still in a soft condition to adapt its roll contacting side to be pressed against and take the impression of the roll, such pressure being applied by directing an air blast against the sheet in opposition to the roll from an airblast nozzle 14. This nozzle is' in communication through a conduit 15 with a fan 16 or other suitable blast creating means and has its outlet end preferably formed with a flaring mouth piece 17 conforming in length to the width of the sheet and terminating in slightly spaced relation to the sheet so that the air-blast after being directed against the sheet may' escape between the edges of the mouth piece and the sheet. The air-blast against the soft sheet not only serves to disctually press the sheet againstthe roll without marring the outer side of the sheet, but also tends to quickly cool the outer side of the sheet and give it a glazed formation so that it will not be marred by coming in contact with a deflecting agent, such for instance as the surface 13 of the leer. In view of this it is preferable to dispose the leer so that the sheet deflecting surface thereof will have contact with the outer chilled or substantially hardened portion of the sheet instead of the inner. relatively softer figured side thereof. This also prevents any possibility of the figured side becoming marred by contact with a deflecting 0b ect before being sufliciently cooled to prevent such marring. In order to provide a surface of the sheet with well out, clearly defined figures the sheet would be from the adjacent side of the chamber wall 7. Nuts 21 are threaded on the stems at the outer sides of the carrying arms and coiled expansion springs 22 are disposed between the bosses 18 and inner sides of the arms 20'to cooperate with the nuts 21 to yieldingly retain the mouth piece in ad usted relation to the roll. The roll 10 may be driven in any suitable or convenient manner at a peripheral speed conforming to the speed of flow of the sheet I; from the slab.

- In Fig. 4 the sheet b is illustrated as passing around the o posite side of the roll to that inFig. 1 so tihat the figured side of the sheet may have contact with the subjacent deflecting means, if it is so desired. lit is uite soft at its point of contact with the impression mold streams or films, for passage through the newness preferable, however, to employ the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the chilled outer side of the sheet has deflecting contact with the subjacent deflecting means.

In Fig. 5 the sheet b passing from the impression roll is shown as p'assing between a pair of rolls 23 which may act on the sheet to either support or feed the same, the sheet then passing down onto a deflecting table 24 where successive lengths may becut from the sheet and transferred .to a leer.

It is evident that my combination of sheet forming means and impression means has several advantages, principal among them being the rapidity and freeness of flow of the glass down the directing means through the critical cooling, temperature to prevent devitrification, and the possibility of independently tempering the separate films of glass as they pass through the tempering chamber and before merging into a single sheet so that the side of the sheet which comes in contact with the impression roll may be somewhat softer than the opposite side, which latter may have suflicient viscosity to maintain the sheet-and prevent it flowing too freely, while the softer side will more easily take the impressionof the roll. These are important features in the production of commercial figured glass.

It will be understood that while it is preferable to divide the glass into a plurality of tempering chamber, as particularly described in my former applications Ser. Nos. 443,752 and 515,759, or as described in my applications 396,339 and 405,322, wherein the stream is divided into separate films at the tip end of the slab, a sheet forming means may be employed wherein a single stream or film of glass flows down a directing slab or member through a tempering heat as shown my said Patent No. 1,261,367. It is evident that the differentfilms passing through the tempering chamber may be derived from diflerent sources containing glass of the same or different characteristics as shown and described in my former application Ser. No. 519,866, so that the sheet may be composed of films of glass of different colors or natures, as for instance, one side of the sheet may be composed of clear transparent glass and the other side of obscure glass.

I Wish'it understood that my invention is not limited to any particular arrangement, form or construction of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The method of forming figured glassware, which consists inpassing a stream of glass, while in asoft condition, in contact witha figured impression member, and directing a fluid blast co-extensive with the width of the stream against the stream in opposition to the member to force the glass againstthe member to take the impression thereof.

2. The method of forming figured glassware, which consists in passing a sheet of glass, while in a soft condition, in contact with a figured impression roll, and directing an air blast against the sheet in opposition to the roll to force the sheet against the roll to cause it to take the impression thereof.

3. The method of forming figured glassware, which consists in flowing a stream of glass by gravity down through a tempering heat and, while still in a soft condition, into contact at one side thereof with a figured impression member, and applying fluid pressure to the opposite side of the sheet toforce it into impression taking contact with the member while passing the same. i

4. Themethod of forming fi ured glassware which consists in flowing glass in separated films down through a tempering heat, merging the films into a single sheet, passing the sheet, while still soft, into contact with'a figured member, and applying pressure to the opposite side of the sheet to force it into impression taking contact with the member.

5. The method of forming figured glassware which consists in flowing glass in separated films down through a tempering heat, merging the films into a single sheet and permitting the sheet, while still soft, to move into impression taking contact with a figured roll, one film being es; viscous than the other and forming the side of thesheet opposed to the roll, and applying a pressure on the sheet in opposition to the roll to press it closely to the ImPI'GISlOH surface of the roll. i

6. The method of forming figured glassware, which consists in continuously flowing glass in separated films down opposite sides of a heated directing member in the presence of a tempering heat, merging the films into a single sheet at the discharge end of the directmg member and permittin it, while still soft, to flow into contact with and past a figured impression member, and directing a fluid blast against the sheet in opposition to the member to force, the glass against the member to take the impression thereof.

7; The method of forming continuous glassware, which consists in flowing .a plurality of streams of gla's by gravity down through a tempering heat, merging the streams into a single sheet in the presence of heat and causing the sheet, while still soft, to'pass' an impression member, and directing a fluid blast against the sheet in opposition to the impression member to force the sheet molten supply down through a tempering against the member to take the impression thereof.

8. The method of forming continuousfigured sheet lass, which consists in flowing a plurality 0 films of glass from a source of heat, merging the films into a single sheet in the presence of heat and causing the sheet, While still soft, to flow past an impression member in contact therewith, regulating the tempering heat to cause the film of glass forming the surface of the sheet having contact With the impression member to be more viscous than the glass forming the opposite side of the sheet, and directing a pressure against the sheet in oppositionto the member to cause the sheet to take the impression of the member. 7

' 9. The method of forming continuous figured sheet glass, which consists in flowing a plurality of films of glass from a source of supply down directing means in the presence of a tempering heat, merging the films at the lower end of the directing means into a single sheet and causing the sheet, while still soft. to pass an impression member in contact therewith, regulating the tempering heat to cause the film of glass forming the member contacting surface of the sheet to be more viscous than the film of glassforming the opposite side of the portion of the sheet and directing a fluid blast against the sheet in opposition to the member to force.

the sheet against the member and cause it to take the impression thereof.

10. The method of forming continuous figured sheet glass, which consists in flowing a stream of glass in sheet form from a source of molten glass supply down through a tempering heat, passing the sheet, while still soft, by and into contact at one side thereof with an impression member, directing a fluid blast against the sheet in opposition to the member to cause the sheet to take the impression of the member, and while the sheet is still bendable causing the plain side.

thereof to have contactwith a deflecting surace.

11. The method of forming continuous figured sheet glass, which consists in flowing molten glass in sheet form from a source of molten glass supply through a tempering heat and, while soft, into contact at one side with an impression member, directing an air blast against the sheet in opposition to the memher to chill the outer side of the sheet and to cause the inner side thereof to take the position to the roll to cause the stream to be pressed to and take .the .impression of the roll.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, an impression roll past which a continuous sheet of soft glass flows, and means for directing a continuous blast of air against-the sheet in opposition to the roll to cause it to be ressed against and take the impression of t 1e roll.

14. In an apparatus of the class described, a movable impression member, means for directing a continuous stream of soft glass in sheet form past the member, and means for directing a continuous fluid blast against the 'streamin opposition to the member to press it to and cause it to take the impression of the member.

15. In an apparatus of the class described, means forming a temperin chamber, an impression member, means or directing the flow of glass from a molten source of supply through the chamber and past the impression member, and blast means for forcing the sheet against the impression memberas it passes the same to cause the sheet to take the impression of the member.

16. In an apparatus of the class described, means forming a heated tempering chamber,

movable impression means. disposed below the chamber, means for directing the flow of glass from a source of molten glass supply in separated films down through the chamber, merging the films at the lower end of the directing means to permit them to flow therefrom in single sheet form past the impression member, and means for applying pressure to the sheet as it passes the impression member to force it into impression taking contact therewith.

17. In an apparatus of the class described, means forming a heated tempering chamber, movable impression means disposed below the chamber, means for directing the flow of glass from a source of molten glass supply in separated films down through the chain ber, merging the films at the lower end of thedirecting means and permitting them to flow therefrom in single sheet form past the impression member, and means for directing a fluid blast against the sheet as it asses the impression member to force it into impression taking contact therewith.

18. In an apparatus of the class described, means forming a heated tempering chamber, an impression roll, means for directing the flowof glass from a source of moltenglass supply in sheet form down through the chamber and, while still soft, past the impression roll in contact therewith, and means for directing a continuous air blast against the sheet in opposition to the roll as it passes the same to cause the sheet to take the impression of the roll. 19. In an apparatus of the class described,

new

means for forming continuous sheet glass by flowing it in sheet form down a heateol directing nieniher in the presence of eternpering heat, an impression roll with which the sheet" has contact flowing troin soiai means and While still soft, and means tor directing a fluid blast against the sheet in opposition to the roll to cause it to take the impression of the roll.

20. In an apparatus of the class descrihed, means for torining continuous sheet gloss by flowing it in sheet form (town a heated directing member in the presence Of'n'tQEPQE- ing heat, an impression r'oli with which the" sheet has contact after flowing from said ineansand While still soft, means for v(iit'etta fluid hlast against the sheet in opposition to the toil to cause it to take the impression oi the roli, and means contacting with the plain siele only of the sheet to deflect course oi movement after leeving the.

roil.

2i. The method of forming continuous impression member.

22. The method of forming continuous glassware,Whichconsists in flowing a plurality 0 3* titres of glass from a source of molten glass suppiy dovin a heated &irecting means in the "presence of a tempering heat, merging the films at the discharge end of the directingnieans into a single sheet ancl causing the sheet, While still soft, to have impression receiving contact with en impression inemher.

lln testimony whereof if have hereunto signed my name to this specification EDWARD BANNER,

CT". DJ 

